Yesterday was a wash for quilting in the studio. Mr Wazoo and I drove to Gainsville again for an appointment with the pain doctor's nurse practitioner. The new plan is for L3-SI facet MBB treatment, followed by nerve ablation in those areas. This means more injections in my back, then a burning of the tiny nerves that are causing the problem. Yikes! I'm waiting to hear from the scheduler for the date of the first treatment.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, rain, rain, rain and a wave of colder weather has kept Mr W indoors. I like the inclement weather as long as the power stays on and I can work! On Sunday-Funday I pieced a charity quilt from the fabric I bought at the sale in Hiawassee. I would have made the usual small (40x50) quilt, but I want to make quilts a bit bigger for nursing home residents. It is really cheerful!
I need to find something for the back, then I'll get it quilted and bound.
I quilted the QOV that arrived from the national group on Sunday, too. This is how much thread was left on the cone when I finished the quilting. That's cutting it close! Look at the cone in the upper right of the photo...
Here is the quilt, ready to ship back to the maker in Florida.
Panto: Starry Night in gold thread
It looks great on the backing.
I also cut out the pieces for another 2-3-2-6 quilt, this one in the standard child size.
I made a bunch more repair pieces for the strip quilt I have been working on, too.
I am almost two months behind on the BOM from The Quilt Show, but did get the first border paper-pieced for the center block.
There are supposed to be corner blocks with appliquéd circles on them, but I'm not crazy about them, so I am auditioning other possibilities. Here, I tried some fussy-cut hummingbirds from a Laurel Burch fabric. I'm not thrilled about this look, either... Back to the drawing board.
Before quitting for the day, I loaded this quilt. The top was made by a dear friend who died of from kidney failure after many years fighting her disease. Even the needed kidney transplant didn't save her. She was a lovely woman, and truly wonderful artist and quilter. Her husband gave me this top after she passed, hoping it would give someone comfort. It sat in my stash of tops for several years before I finally got it out, made a backing and got it quilted.
Monday began with PT, where the therapist did palliative treatments instead of the usual exercises. Massage, E-stem and heat made my back calmer and started the day off well.
Back home, I quilted Donna's quilt, and now it will finally give comfort to a nursing home resident. Binding is all that I need to do to finish it.
I love the colors in this scrappy quilt. The fabrics are older prints, but the impression is a modern style.
Panto: Flower feathers
I had this feather fabric in my stash, and like the big print as a surprise on the back.
When I finished Donna's quilt, I loaded this Ghastlycrumb rendition of Valentine's Day. The prints in this collection are all whimsical renditions of the Ghastly's being in love. Their expressions and the supporting visuals (like the heart with swords piercing through it) make it a tongue-in-cheek lampoon of the holiday. It was a fun quilt to do!
My customer's daughter made this as her first quilt! She has learned her precise piecing from her Mom and done a wonderful job making a flat and square quilt. Good job!
The panto is Heart Fancy. A spilled bottle of poison is on the block at the top, and elsewhere in the piecing is the Ghastly butler offering poisoned drinks on a tray. Many of the fabric's motifs were fussy-cut to showcase the macabre subject matter.
The heart full of swords and the butler serving drinks.
The people are all saying "love", but look like they want to kill someone!
The backing is a composite fabric from the collection
Here is the entire back. So fun to look at!
"One who marries for love alone courts bad days but delicious nights"
The guy under the black cloud courting his true love. Then, half hidden to the right, the naked couple enjoying(?) their 'delicious night'.
This couple, with their evil looking cat, surrounded by pretty flowers.
How about these guys? What's their story? The Ghastlycrumb's designer has a wicked sense of humor!
After the trip to Gainsville, I didn't have time to do much in the studio, so I stayed upstairs and baked a pineapple upside down cake for Mr W. While it was in the oven, I did the hand repair of a rag rug a customer entrusted to me, Her grandma and auntie made many of these, but this one was the only one worth repairing. It is well worn from years of use, but still has some life left for the family. Boy, was it tough to hand sew through the double knit polyester bits! I used a large embroidery needle and dental floss for the work. Good for another 50 years!
Here is one side of the rug. Penny gave it her seal of approval after a quick sniff.
This is the other side. Oh, that pup just has to be in the picture! The shady part near the center of the rug isbn't a stain, it is where darker fabrics were incorporated in the braids.
I didn't have a platter the right size to turn out the cake on, so I used a pizza pan! After we ate a couple of pieces for dessert, I fit the rest in a Rubbermaid container. Mmmmmm...so tasty!! Especially with vanilla ice cream.
I also baked a large pan of granola with dried fruit and nuts in it to have with my morning yogurt. Its great stuff, easy to make, and lasts a couple of weeks in a sealed container.
Okay...that's enough for now. I'm off to the studio to work on my next quilt. It is foggy and raining outside, so I am guaranteed a productive day at work. Mr W isn't as happy, but he'll survive.
See you later!
